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When it comes to the world’s two largest economies embracing new and green technology China and The United States are worlds apart. Considering that China is a communist country with a capitalist system one would expect them to lag behind the United States in new ideas and emergent technology but when one considers that the U.S. is actually bogged down by its so called "free market" one sees a very different picture. Ironically the U.S. Patent office which gives technology its certifiabiity and allows it to enter the market place has a backlog of over 1.2 million applications. Many of these technologies are so sophisticated the patent office doesn't have the capability to understand them.
An alarming trend has occurred in the U.S. in the last ten years. The manufacturing sector has decreased or moved overseas by as much as 50% while new tech is not being pushed forward. This has led to the World Economic Forum removing the U.S. from the top spot in innovation and replacing it with Switzerland in its Global Competitiveness Report for 2010. For the U.S. there is no end in sight when dealing with this problem as the republican led congress has chosen to not provide the funds necessary for the patent office to deal with this dilemma. They are literally defunding their future.
Paradoxically, China which has gotten many of the jobs the U.S. has acquiesced in the last decade is pushing forward with a blueprint for green technology. The China Greentech Report, sponsored by the China Greentech Initiative, examines several fields of interest for green tech applications and expects to expand the Chinese economy by as much as $1 trillion dollars annually through green manufacturing. China is working diligently with new investors when it comes to intellectual property rights. According to world renowned economist Joseph Steiglitz China is embracing a "new economic model" that could set a trend for the whole world.
The U.S. government has for the last century focused on fossil fuels and nuclear technology when it comes to energy. One can argue that the open free market system has actually brought the U.S. to this point of despair. Lobbyists who push for greater subsidies and continued use of outdated technologies walk the halls of congress alongside congress people who are former heads of companies which have profited from congressional action. Presidents and Vice presidents who are former heads of oil companies advocate for wars in countries that are rich in oil. Chasing the oil dinosaur has literally caused a "Moby Dick" scenario. Irony fully intended as the former Vice president’s name was indeed Dick. The white whale of oil is having a last laugh. As a result capitalism is being re-examined around the world, and innovative revolutionary technologies are slipping away to China .
The experiment that is the United States seems stalled in the water with two endless wars, very few new ideas, and no real technology sector. All is not totally lost as there is some hope on the horizon. President Obama's recent push for future technology in his State of The Union address is a good sign that the U.S. is aware of its own fall from grace. However, the president's plan to cut subsidies to oil companies is being thwarted by the congress. The good ole boy system is hard at work politically and financially making sure its own purse strings are not effected by any future changes. Obama's "Forward Together" policy which advocates for increased subsidies for
solar, wind, and clean energy plus education lacks companionship on the other side of the aisle. To make a long story short – the process of accepting any new technology and incorporating it into a status quo structure of the United States is too complex. Companies that represent new technologies do not want to wait, and therefore offer their solutions to other countries. For example, VISCOIL company technology will quite possibly be handed over to China – according to some undisclosed sources, it has already been sold. All the while the American people stay literally in the dark. Divided by politics and lacking in education on the subject at hand.
When it comes to the size of the two economies there is little doubt that the U.S. is still the worlds largest economy with its GDP (gross domestic product) of roughly 14.7 trillion dollars. China 's economy is roughly half of that. China is the world’s largest exporter yet it lacks the internal structure and internal consumer economy that the United States has. Where China wins out is, however, in the long run. China is innovating, adopting new ideas, growing internally, properly educating its people and has a growth rate that is ten times faster than that of the U.S.
Green tech is obviously the way forward for both these mega economies. Systems that are so large and complex have to be refined and evolve. Green tech is the only way forward in that regard. Fossil fuels and nuclear technology may be the current drivers but they are not sustainable in the long run. As both economies expand resources will continue to become more scarce. This begs the question. What can be learned from both these systems and how can they be refined so that the future is a better place for all of us?
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